2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/10/2025 | 10:35 AM - 11:05 AM | The Power of Play: If You Can't Play It...You Can't Say It! | 302
The Power of Play: If You Can't Play It...You Can't Say It!
We know that the majority of individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing are just as intelligent as their hearing peers (Maller & Braeden 2011) but research suggests that many children and adolescents who are deaf and hard of hearing have significantly more social and emotional problems compared to their hearing peers. (Antia & Kreimeyer 2015; Batten, Oakes & Alexander 2014). So what can we do as parents and providers to help solve this dilemma? Research demonstrates that developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers is a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills required to build executive function and a pro-social brain. Theory of mind is a fundamental aspect of social intelligence and plays a pivotal role in building meaningful relationships as children grow. It is an area that many children who are deaf and hard of hearing face challenges around, given the lack of linguistic input and rich language experiences available to them. Pretend play provides an ideal context for children who are deaf and hard of hearing to develop and strengthen their theory of mind. During pretend play scenarios, children engage in creating real and fictional situations, taking on different roles and navigating complex social interactions. As they begin to enact various roles and scenarios, they can begin to grasp the concept that individuals may have thoughts, emotions, and intentions that differ from their own. This presentation will target a variety of play activities focusing on infants through preschool age children while incorporating the child’s listening, language, and developmental goals.
This presentation will consist of lecture, videos, and group participation.
- 1. The participants will recognize the significance of play and how the child with hearing loss’s language, cognition, and self-regulation skills are impacted by the development of their play.
- 2. The participants will identify the stages of play and determine how to embed the child’s individual developmental goals into each stage of play.
- 3. The participant will partake in role playing scenarios using a variety of materials representing each stage of play while incorporating listening and spoken language strategies.
Presentation:
3545975_18194BarbaraMeyers.pdf
Handouts:
3545975_18194BarbaraMeyers.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Barbara Meyers
(Primary Presenter), St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, bmeyers@sjid.org;
Barb Meyers is a listening and spoken language therapist for St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. Barb sees families in their homes in the state of Missouri, as well as, coaches caregivers, professionals, paraprofessionals, and school age students from birth through high school via the iHear Internet Therapy Program. Barb has licensures in Missouri, Indiana, Nebraska, and Kansas. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Special Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Deaf Education from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. Barb has been teaching deaf and hard of hearing children for over 50 years. Her previous experience has been teaching 3–9-year-old students with St. Louis County Special School District and 3-4-year-old students in the preschool program at SJI. Barb has supervised undergraduate and graduate students from Fontbonne University and Washington University. As Professional Learning Coordinator at SJI, Barb mentors staff and is responsible for parent education.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Lexi Newman
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, lnewman@sjid.org;
Lexi Newman is a certified teacher of the deaf in the state of Missouri who works with children and their families ranging from birth to three years old. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. Lexi earned her Master of Science in Deaf Education from Washington University School of Medicine. She has had extensive experience working with children & families in various settings and delivery methods including hospitals, clinics, schools, and teletherapy. She is extremely passionate about promoting child development in all areas, nurturing parent-child relationships, and collaborating with other professionals. Lexi now serves children and their families as an early interventionist at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf and will begin to pursue her certification as a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist in Auditory-Verbal Therapy.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.